Sunday, February 12, 2012

Beautiful Lakes in the World

Lake Malawi, Malawi

Home to 1,000 species of fish—estimated to be more than anyplace on
earth—Lake Malawi (also called Lake Nyasa) is Africa's third largest
lake at 363 miles long and up to
about 50 miles wide in spots. Located in a depression 2,300 feet below
sea level, it's positioned at the crossroads of Malawi,
Mozambique and Tanzania, and supports hundreds of
local villages with its rich underwater stock (which is, unfortunately,
gradually being depleted due to over-fishing). The lake's southern
portion—as well as a bordering nub of
wildlife-rich land, Cape Maclear—represents the world's first freshwater
national park; it was also named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. A
star of the waters here is the
mbuna, a native freshwater fish known for eating directly from people's
hands. Bring your snorkel gear—as beautiful as the scenery is, the best
part about Lake Malawi is what's
swimming beneath you in the crystal clear water.

Peyto Lake, Alberta Canada

Alberta's Lake Louise
is the famous one, on all the postcards and posters. But Louise's
sister lake 29 miles north along Icefields Parkway, a two-laner that
winds 142 miles
through the Canadian Rockies, is even more picturesque. Thanks to
glacial rock flour that flows in when the ice and snow melt every
summer, the waters of Banff National Park's
Peyto Lake are a brilliant turquoise more often associated with
warm-weather paradises like Antigua and Bora-Bora. For the most dramatic
views of the 1.7-mile-long stunner,
encircled with dense forest and craggy mountain peaks, pull into the lot
at Bow Summit, the parkway's highest point, and follow the steep hike
to the overlook.

Crater Lake, Oregan

Thousands of years ago, the top of a 12,000-foot-high volcano in the
Cascade Range exploded. The massive pit left behind became known as
Crater Lake, the centerpiece of a
national park in southern Oregon that displays nature at its rawest and
most powerful. Forests of towering evergreens and 2,000-foot-high cliffs
surround the lake, where
extraordinarily deep waters—at 1,943 feet, it's the deepest lake in the
United States—yield an intense sapphire-blue hue. If winter hiking and
cross-country skiing aren't your
thing, wait until early July to visit, when the roads have been plowed
and the trails cleared. Rim Drive, a 33-mile road that encircles the
lake, has picture-perfect views from
all sides. For a closer look, follow the mile-long Cleetwood Cove Trail
to the shore. Brace yourself before diving in: The water temperature
rarely rises above 55 degrees
Fahrenheit.

Taal Lake, Philippines

This dangerous beauty, situated just 37.28 miles south of Manila, has
two distinct claims to fame: It is the deepest lake in the Philippines,
with a depth of 564 feet. It is
also home to one of the world's smallest but most active volcanoes, the
Taal Volcano, which sits within its waters on the island of Luzon. The
lake itself was formed when a
larger volcanic crater here collapsed; now seismologists spend a lot of
time monitoring this spot for tremors, and sending out frequent eruption
warnings through the country's
Department of Tourism. Plenty of tour groups offer trips to the natural
wonder—in spite of the fact that it has been declared a permanent danger
zone. A safer way to see the
volcano is by taking a drive along the Tagaytay-Taal ridge in nearby
Tagaytay City.

Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

Nearly a mile up in the highlands of Guatemala, Atitlán (Lago de
Atitlán) rests at the foot of three massive conical volcanoes. Small
Mayan villages line its shores, which
are set off by steep hills draped with oak and pine trees and nearly 800
plant species. There's no single, must-see view of the lake, so try
several vantage points: from up high
on Highway 1; from the town of Panajachel, the buzzing market hub that
juts out into the water; or aboard a lancha, one of the many small boats
that ferry visitors from village
to village. We're saddened to note that the lake has built up high
levels of blue-green algae over the years (in October and November 2009,
a film of green scum began briefly
marring its surface; since then there have been ambitious efforts to
solve the problem.

Loch Lomond, Scotland

With a backdrop of windswept rolling hills and medieval castles, Loch
Lomond feels like it's straight out of a Victorian romance novel. The
24-mile-long lake is dotted with
islands, some so small that they disappear when the water levels are
high, and others large enough to be (sparsely) inhabited. Most ferries
stop at the largest island,
Inchmurrin (population 11), so visitors can get a look at the remains of
a 7th-century monastery and the 14th century Lennox Castle, used often
as a hunting lodge for kings.

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Note from zuhairah

When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable but it's designed to make its own people comfortable. The wise man say... "the world is like a book and those who do not travel read only a page". Travel experience is as education in itself and a good traveler has no fixed plans and in fact is not intent on arriving.